This wasn’t our first visit to Handmade Burger Co. The first time I visited, it was at the Silverburn branch located in Silverburn shopping centre in Glasgow. I sampled the Jimmy’s Farm beef, cheese and bacon burger, which was topped with a caramelised onion relish and was absolutely delicious. Naturally, I wanted to visit again and feature it on the website. One late Thursday afternoon, an emergency trip to Ikea was in order and since there’s also a branch of Handmade Burger Co at Glasgow’s Braehead shopping centre, we decided to stop by for another review.

The Stuffed Cheddar Chilli Burger

Handmade Burger Co pride themselves on the fact that all of their burgers are handmade in their restaurants each day. I was certainly impressed with my last visit, albeit to a different branch and was excited to finally feature one of their burgers on the site.

When placing our order, the waiter recommended that we try out one of the new stuffed burgers that Handmade have been pushing for some time now. He informed us that the stuffed cheddar & chilli burger was “the best burger on the menu” and highly recommended that we try it out. That was all I needed to hear, so we both placed our orders and had the burger topped with additional bacon and mushrooms, as recommended by the waiter.

Topped with bacon and mushroomsInside the stuffed burger

The cheddar & chilli burger is described on the menu as handmade burger’s classic beef patty stuffed with cheddar cheese and chilli and topped with hot chilli relish, mayo and salad.

As I cut the burger in the half to get the obligatory ‘insides’ shot, the first thing that I noticed was that there didn’t seem to be anything inside the patty and since this was supposed to be a stuffed burger, I was a little surprised to say the least. Examining the patty closer, it was clear that it had it originally had been stuffed as there was an opening in the centre, however aside from a small hint of chilli, I wasn’t able to see or taste any of the ingredients that were listed as being inside the burger itself. The actual patty itself was also overcooked and nothing overly memorable. It definitely did not live up to the standards set by the Jimmy’s Farm beef and cheese burger that I had eaten at the Handmade Burger Co over at Silverburn. I didn’t feel that the bacon and mushrooms added much to the burger and if I were to have the same again, I’d definitely have it without and instead just have it as it is listed on the menu. The burger was served on a lightly toasted bun, which was fairly decent at holding the contents together but definitely not the best I’ve had.

We also ordered a side of peri-peri fries which were absolutely delicious along with a a selection of the handmade burger co dips. The dips are priced at £1.95 for three so we went with chipotle sour cream, sweet chilli and cajun mayo and each one was fantastic. I wish that handmade burger sold these sauces in-store for customers to buy and take home because even after my fries were done, I wanted to lick the tub that the sauces were served in (I didn’t though).

The handmade burger experience wasn’t terrible by any means, it was just forgettable. I was expecting a beef patty that was going to ooze with cheese and chilli when cut open, but the burger didn’t appear to be stuffed with much at all. The patty was overcooked and didn’t leave any kind of lasting impression with me. I wouldn’t be opposed to going back to handmade burger again, because as mentioned earlier, when I tried the Jimmy’s Farm beef and cheese burger, I thought it was probably the best burger that I’d ever had at a UK chain restaurant outside of Gourmet Burger Kitchen and the service was great. Compared to the Jimmy’s Farm burger, I was disappointed with this one. Perhaps if I had the stuffed burger again, but back at the Silverburn branch it would be different or perhaps I was just expecting a little too much from reading the description on the menu and after the glowing recommendation from the waiter when we sat down to order. Regardless, if you are planning on stopping by Handmade Burger Co, get the Jimmy’s Farm beef and cheese, a helping of peri-peri fries and some chipotle mayo to go along with it all. Despite a cool gimmick, the stuffed burgers just don’t live up to other things on an already huge menu.

Have you tried this burger? Did you love it? If so, vote for it in the ‘Glasgow’s best burger’ award by clicking here.

Talk to James on Twitter and tell us what you thought of this burger! You can also leave your own review and comments below. We want to hear from you! You can also leave a message or join in on the burger chat on our Facebook page.